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Demand for flights to Costa Rica from European airlines exceeds expectations

  

  • In meetings with ICT in the ITB Berlin tourism fair, airline representatives expressed their intention to expand operations to our country.

The airlines that connect Europe with Costa Rica—seven of which operate direct flights—informed the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) that they are completely pleased with the results that they have obtained over the last months from their operations in our country. They also indicated their surprise at the reception that the destination has received in the markets that serve it.

The airlines made these statements in meetings held with ICT representatives in the 53rd edition of the world’s largest tourism fair, ITB Berlin, which was held in the German capital from Wednesday, March 6 to Sunday, March 10.

“In 2006, Costa Rica only had a single indirect flight to Europe; currently eight airlines offer flights between the continent and Costa Rica, seven of them direct and one with a stopover, which goes to show the major leap our country has made as a result of our airline attraction strategy”, said the Minister of Tourism, Maria Amalia Revelo.

The tourism head emphasized the commitment by the country’s President, Carlos Alvarado, and the ICT to support companies contributing to Costa Rica’s sustainable tourism development, which is recognized around the world by the international tourism sector.

Revelo, who personally welcomed representatives of Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Edelweiss and Condor, confirmed that these airlines plan on continuing their expansion to the country in the near future, since Costa Rica has been one of the most profitable destinations for companies in the region.

The increase and success of the new routes from Europe to Costa Rica was clearly seen in the number of negotiations held by Costa Rican business leaders with wholesalers from around the world at ITB Berlin at the country’s stand in the trade fair.

“Without a doubt, the existence of direct flights from Europe to Costa Rica encourages local companies to seek out more opportunities to attract tourists to the country. Following the Minister’s presidential mandate, we have strengthened our efforts in this area, working alongside our airports and the private sector”, said the Director of Investment Attraction for ICT, Hermes Navarro.

The Minister confirmed that the figures for visits during 2018 were very positive for the European markets, and that figures for early 2019 confirmed that the busy season has been as solid as forecasted.

Some 414,722 arrivals by air were recorded from Europe in 2018, with the largest number coming from Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain. This figure is an increase of 7.6% over 2017, when 383,066 Europeans arrived by air.

January 2019 saw 248,754 international arrivals from tourists by air, an increase of 9.2% over the same month in 2018. Of this total, 45,643 arrivals from Europeans were recorded, an increase of 4.2% over January 2018.

“These figures encourage both the private and public sectors to continue working together to increase the sustainability and quality of our tourism offerings for the benefit and progress of the communities whose livelihoods depend on this industry”, emphasized the Tourism Minister.

Costa Rica takes the lead

The Costa Rican tourism model based on small and medium businesses—with 94% of hotels having 40 or fewer rooms—was a leading example of sustainable development at the ITB Berlin trade fair.

Revelo was the guest of honor at the panel “International visits by Germans have an impact. What responsibility does the German government have?”, held on Thursday, March 7, in which she participated in a discussion with three German ministers: Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Minister of the Environment, Nature, Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Sabine Hepperle, Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, and Norbert Barthle, Minister of Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The tourism minister invited Germans to support tourism models like the Costa Rican example and to purchase offsets for greenhouse gas emissions from their long-distance journeys to our country. As an example, she mentioned “Vuelo Limpio”, or Clean Flight, an offering of the National Fund for Forest Financing (FONAFIFO).

Revelo was also the main speaker at a panel on tourism for sustainable development on Friday, March 8.

“Sustainable and responsible tourism seeks to reach a balance between economic, social and environmental aspects”, Revelo explained. “We believe that tourists who are committed to this model will continue to be willing to spend their money and vacations supporting sustainability”, she noted.